Grrrl Power

Music - Music review

November 2, 2001|By Susan Carpenter, Los Angeles Times

Le Tigre, Feminist Sweepstakes (Mr. Lady): In a climate in which women artists trade more on their bodies than their brains or any real musical talent, it's refreshing to hear an intelligent and opinionated band put its music where its mind is. With its second full-length release, this New York City trio further refines the beat-box feminism of its self-titled 1999 debut.

Led by Riot Grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna, Feminist Sweepstakes picks up where that movement left off in the '90s, weighing in on the lack of advancement in women's issues and encouraging women to wake up to the cultural brainwashing that oppresses them instead of willingly buying into it.

Musically, the group is more Casio than punk-rock although it hasn't entirely ditched its paint-chipped and stickered guitars. Vocals volley between hysterical rants and a demure sort of sing-speak that seems to represent how women are expected to behave. As much a musical manifesto as a call to action, the group's message is sometimes stronger than its music. But more often than not, Le Tigre's attempts at the tricky fusion of girl politics, electronica and grungy guitar-rock come together beautifully.

Whether the group is sampling snippets from a lesbian protest march or slow-grooving about society's relentless need to pigeonhole, Le Tigre is a rare band -- one that inspires listeners not only to dance but to think.